Tag: melbourne dessert

Melbourne’s obsession with donuts continues, and although I’ve already found a go-to, the simple and laid-back interior of Donut Shop drew me in when I had a few hours to kill in the area, and I decided to try them out.

Mocha Crunch – $5.00

At the friendly suggestion of the waiter, I settled for the mocha crunch. The donut was very soft and airy, which contrasted well with the biscuit crumbs on top, and wasn’t overly sweet. This is one of those donuts that light enough that you don’t feel too guilty after having one as an afternoon pick-me-up.

Donut Shop is a great place to catch up with friend over some coffee and donuts. There was one weird thing: the place is named Burgers & Donuts on Zomato, and as far as I’m aware, no burger appeared on the menu. Mystery aside, good luck deciding between those donut flavours, may the odds be ever in your favour.

How to get here:The Donut Shop is located on Gertrude Street, around a 12 minutes walk from Parliament station.

Dex2rose has been around for a few years now, and joined in all the fun with the nitrogen gelato craze. However, it has since ventured out into a range of other desserts too.

Matcha Crepe Cake – $11.95

Crepe cakes will always have a special place in my heart. I’ve made it a couple of times at home, and it is truly an art getting the same consistently thin crepes each and every time while essentially burning your fingertips.

Matcha Crepe Cake – $11.95

The matcha crepe cake was more decked out then say, the one at Jinda Thai, the plate was completed with a drizzle of matcha patissiere, white chocolate gelato, salted caramel popcorns, dollop of whipped cream, and fresh fruit. The plating was certainly well thought-out, and the flavours all worked well in unison. The red beans scattered through the crepe cake itself meant that there was some additional depth of flavour added to the creamy and silky cake, and the white chocolate gelato was not overly sweet on its own or when paired with the cake.

Mist in the Woods – $16.95

The hot chocolate set was probably the more gimmicky choice of the two desserts we had picked. Recreating something you would enjoy doing by the campfire meant that you could actual roast the marshmallows on the small burner, which was actually really exciting. The hot chocolate itself was lightly spiced, and the salted caramel gelato was a nice addition.

The desserts at Dex2rose were innovative but didn’t compensate in flavour either, a combination that has become harder to comeby in recent times.

I really enjoyed the laid-back atmosphere that Dex2rose offered. Although the space wasn’t too big, it was reasonably easy to grab a table that was made up of crates if you didn’t manage to score a proper table on the side. I will definitely be returning when we are looking for some crepe cakes around the city after dinner next time round.

How to get here:Dex2rose is located on Little Bourke Street, a short 5 minutes walk from Melbourne Central.

Shortstop is tucked away in an alleyway opposite Melbourne Central. It is home to one of my all time favourite donut – the Australian honey and sea salt. Shortstop makes four varieties of donuts; raised, cruller, cake and filled; the names are quite explanatory.

On this occasion, I went in for the pumpkin spiced donut, which was unfortunately sold out already. Note to self, go earlier to ensure the full selection is available. I settled on the pumpkin caramel, which was actually a Halloween special, as shown by the web icing on top. The inside of the donut was orange too, and the pumpkin flavour was very prominent. The caramel was sweet, but not overly sweet.

Although the store is quite small, the friendly staff are able to provide prompt service to ensure that you don’t have to wait for too long to enjoy your donut. There are a few tables inside, as well as a bench; and there is also some seating available just outside the cafe. Given its convenient location and seasonal rotation of flavours, I am quite proud of myself for not visiting in it on a weekly, if not daily basis. Be sure to give the donuts a go next time you’re doing some shopping in Melbourne Central.

How to get there:
Shortstop is located on Sutherland Street, just opposite of the Elizabeth Street side of Melbourne Central.

Milkcow hailed from Korea a couple of years ago, and this summer, they introduced the Watermelon Ice Cream Sandwich, and if this doesn’t scream summer, I don’t know what does.

We treated ourselves to the icecream after finishing up with exams, and although the pricetag of $10 is not cheap, the serving is huge, and is enough to share between two to three people. The concept is quite simple really, a thick slice of watermelon is hollowed out in the middle, and filled with the vegan watermelon ice cream. The seeds are actually chocolate bits, which was cute but not very tasty. I loved the ice cream, on the other hand, it was sweet and refreshing, kind of reminds of the watermelon flavoured Chuppa Chup. If you start finding the ice cream a bit too sweet, carve out a piece of the watermelon, and it tames down the whole thing.

This is strictly limited edition, so if you’re after a cartoon-like dessert that’s both photogenic and delicious, head down to Milkcow and try the sandwich for yourself today.

How to get there:
Milkcow is located on Swaston Street, a few minutes walk from Melbourne Central.

Le Petit Gateau is tucked away in my favourite part of the city, and serves one of my favourite cake in town. We stopped by for a quick dessert after lunch one day at, you guessed it, my suggestion.

Lemon Tart – $8.50

Starting things on a simpler note, we ordered the lemon tart. This is such a classic dessert, and I loved Le Petit Geteau’s interpretation. The pastry was buttery and crumbly, and the lemon curd was tangy and silky smooth. Although nothing ground breaking, this is as good as lemon tarts can be imo.

Brownie and Passionfruit Chocolate Gateau – $9.90

The precision of this cake never fails to blow me away, just look at how crisp the layers all are! The flavour profile certainly lives up to expectation, with chocolate brownie, passionfruit curd, and milk chocolate mousse layered on top of one another, and then the whole thing is covered with dark chocolate glaze, and topped with a mango jelly.

Five ingredients isn’t all that crazy when it comes to French patisserie I don’t think, however, these five elements all work in harmony, and brings the best out of one another. The tartness of the passionfruit curd and mango jelly balances out the richness of chocolate in its three different textures so well, making it a must order every time I visit!

There are still many more cakes and pastries I want to try out from Le Petit Gateau, it always takes me so much self control to not order a couple more to take home when I leave the store. But hey, given its accessible location, I’ll be sure to go back!

How to get there:Le Petit Gateau is on Little Collins Street, which is less than 10 minutes walk away from Melbourne Central.